The present invention is directed to the construction industry. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a construction or press board made of peanut shells.
The peanut industry has always had a problem: what do you do with the shells after they have surrendered their fruit? The shells are resistant to breakdown by weather and insects which are normally involved in the bio-degradation of similar materials such as wood, simply are not interested in peanut shells. Accordingly, the shells are piled in huge mounds which significantly overburden the land fills. Further, burning is not an option due in part to the fire resistance of the shells and due in part to the air pollution problem such incineration would create. Peanut farmers would gladly pay someone to haul them off just to be rid of them.
Couple that with the recent rebuilding going on in the southeastern US due to hurricane damage to homes, which has led to the demand for plywood outstripping the supply capabilities of the industry, and what you have is a tremendous opportunity to solve two problems at once. The present invention forms construction board of the spent peanut shells, removing the burgeoning landfill problem in Georgia and surrounding peanut farming states. The same characteristics of peanut shells which make them a disposal problem—resistance to weather degradation, pest-aversion, and fire-retardance—make them an excellent building material. Further, unlike trees which need 30-40 years to repopulate a forest and provide the resources for the lumber mill, peanuts are an annually renewable crop.
The composite construction board of the present invention comprises 87-92% by weight unreduced peanut shells; 8-13% by weight polyester binder formulation; whereby said peanut shells and polyester binder are combined in a press where they are subjected to sufficient temperature and pressure to form a sheet of construction board. More preferably, binder content comprised 11% by weight and the amount of shells 89% by weight. The polyester binder formulation comprises 98.33% by weight unsaturated polyester resin, 0.52% by weight a first catalyst/initiator; 1.05% by weight a second catalyst initiator; and, 0.10% by weight a promoter/exothermic depressant.
The method of making the composite construction board comprises the steps of placing a Mylar® or other plastic release sheet in a press having a rating of at least 100 tons; pouring a blend of 87-92% peanut shells, 8-13% polyester binder formulation into the press; subjecting said blend to at least 100 tons pressure at a temperature in a range from between 290° and 380° F. for a time period in a range between 5 and 8 minutes; and, removing a resulting sheet of composite construction board from the press and allowing it to cool to room temperature.
Various other features, advantages, and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent after a reading of the following detailed description.